The present disclosure relates to promoting oral and general health, and more specifically, to inhibiting demineralization, promoting remineralization and increasing salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) using lithothamnium calcareum (LC) containing compositions.
Demineralization is the process of removing mineral ions from hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals of hard tissues such as bone, dentin, enamel, etc. Enamel is a highly mineralized hard tissue that shelters mammalian teeth from physical, chemical and biological injuring sources. Throughout the life of a mammal, enamel is particularly at risk of demineralization due to the anatomical location of the teeth and the resulting exposure to demineralization inducing environments. For example, mammalian teeth are constantly exposed to acidic foods, beverages, microbiota of the oral cavity, oral health products, etc.
The demineralization of enamel is known to cause a host of problems, including but not limited to carious and erosion lesions. For example, carious lesions may develop as a consequence of an interplay of factors, wherein over time, the presence of a distinct microbiome in biofilms and high frequency of disaccharides intake and hydrolysis (e.g., sucrose) disrupt the homeostatic concentration of calcium and phosphate between enamel and oral fluids (i.e., whole saliva and biofilm fluid). Erosion lesions on the other hand may be caused by repeated exposure of teeth to acid from either exogenous sources (e.g., acidic food, beverages, drugs, oral health products, etc.) or endogenous sources (e.g., gastric juice). Carious and erosion lesions, both a result of demineralization, may cause tooth pain and discomfort among other health problems if left untreated.
Due to these and other problems associated with the demineralization of enamel, the inhibition of enamel demineralization has become an important topic for dental clinicians and scientists. Demineralization is reversible through a process referred to as remineralization. Specifically, partially demineralized HA crystals of tooth enamel can regrow to their original size if exposed to proper conditions for remineralization. Therefore, remineralization has also become a popular topic for treating demineralized enamel.
Conventional treatments for inhibiting and treating demineralization include a variety of fluoride based products. For example, professional application of systemic or local (topical) fluoride enhances mineral uptake by enamel, which in turn inhibits enamel demineralization. Further, additional compounds, such as arginine and other calcium and/or phosphate compounds are conventionally added to the fluoride products to ensure a sufficient amount of calcium and/or phosphate and proper pH levels to promote enamel remineralization.
One challenge associated with fluoride based treatments includes environmental health hazards associated with high doses of fluoride uptake. For example, acute or chronic exposure to high doses of fluoride can result in dental and skeletal fluorosis. Dental fluorosis may be characterized by hypermineralization of enamel due to subsurface porosity below a well-mineralized region. Dental fluorosis may result in enamel discoloration and physical damage to teeth. Another challenge associated with fluoride based treatments includes leveling off of its effectiveness over time. For example, while a rapid decrease in carious lesions associated with increased fluoride use was observed in the 1970s, it has since leveled off, reaching a plateau in the 1990s. Yet another challenge associated with fluoride based products includes the limited availability for a variety of low resource demographics based on the price of the products.
Another focus of oral care and hygiene that has not been addressed by current technology available to humans are the levels of salivary secretory Immunoglobulin A (SIgA). SIgA is the dominant immunoglobulin produced by secretions originating from the epithelial lining that bathe mucosal surfaces (e.g., oral, respiratory, intestinal, and reproductive). SIgA plays a critical role guarding against microbial invasion by inhibiting the attachment of pathogenic microbes to mucosal surfaces. SIgA levels are generally undetectable at birth, elevate rapidly during the first months of life, and continue to increase until stabilizing during childhood (e.g., ages 5-7). SIgA levels may decrease for a variety of reasons including but not limited to aging (e.g., later in adulthood), the presence of stress related conditions, and nutritional deficiencies. Decreases in SIgA poses significant risks considering its critical importance in mucosal resistance to infection.
Conventional treatments for increasing low SIgA levels include nutritional adjustments and lifestyle adjustments for a reduction in stress levels. For example, probiotics, beta glucans and digestive enzymes may be incorporated into the diet to increase the production of SIgA. Additionally, stress relieving techniques such as meditation, yoga and/or other exercise may be incorporated into the daily routine in order to improve SIgA levels.
One challenge associated with conventional nutritional and lifestyle based treatments includes the lengthy amount of time before results appear. For example, it may take on the order of months to years to see an increase in SIgA depending on the starting level of the SIgA. Additionally, conventional nutritional treatments such as probiotics, beta glucans and digestive enzymes may be expensive and thereby have limited accessibility in low resource environments.
In light of the forgoing, it may be desirable to develop alternative options for inhibiting and treating enamel demineralization and increasing SIgA levels alone or concomitantly.